SRIG 23-33: Masculinity and Attitudes about Conflict Management and Conflict Resolution

What was the issue being addressed?

This online study examined the effects of masculinity threats on men and their endorsement of dominative ideologies (i.e., social dominance orientation, ambivalent sexism: hostile and benevolent sexism), conformity to masculine norms, precarious manhood beliefs, and preferred conflict resolution styles.

Provide a brief, lay description of the work undertaken/initiative.

This honours project investigated how masculinity threats influence men’s endorsement of ideological dominance (i.e., social dominance orientation and sexism), ‘concern for others’ conflict resolution style (i.e., forcing), precarious manhood, and conformity to masculine norms. This study is a replication and extension of Dahl et al. (2015), who found that masculinity threat – serially mediated by public discomfort and anger – increased the endorsement of dominative ideologies. As such, we assessed the same dominative ideologies, namely social dominance orientation and ambivalent sexism (i.e., hostile and benevolent sexism).

What is the expected impact this project will have on the community?

The current work includes numerous strengths and supports a growing body of literature on psychological assertions of masculinity following a masculinity threat. Disseminating this work to the broader academic/non-academic community is important not only for future studies in this area, but for fostering positive forms of masculinity among men in our society. Though considerable previous research suggests that men demonstrate increases in physical aggression to reassert their threatened masculinity, our study confirms that when physically aggressive displays are not available, men seek out other, more psychological ways of asserting their masculinity typically involving ideologically dominant behaviors or attitudes towards an outgroup. By better understanding the psychological basis of these tendencies and examining masculinity threats further, we may be able to better support men to form new masculinities that are less harmful to their communities and to themselves.